Homecoming pyramid   Ohio State students Mike Fox and Jennifer Adams peer out of the pyramid sponsored by the Sphinx senior class honorary as the float makes its way along the parade route as part of homecoming festivities Oct. 14.   By Jo McCulty

Siedentop leads P-12 outreach and engagement initiative

Daryl Siedentop, former interim dean of the College of Education and professor of sport and exercise science, will direct Ohio State's preschool-through-12th-grade outreach and engagement initiative.

The P-12 Project will combine Ohio State's teaching, research and service capacities to help improve Ohio's public schools, particularly the education of children and youths in high-poverty areas, Siedentop said. Preliminary plans for the initiative are outlined in the University's Academic Plan.

"The P-12 Project is an opportunity for Ohio State to fulfill its land-grant mission in this new century," Siedentop said. "Improving access has been a key goal in the land-grant tradition, but until the quality of schools for underserved children and youths is improved, their access to participation in the social and economic mainstream is severely limited. I am humbled and excited to be leading Ohio State's efforts."

The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy approved the P-12 initiative Oct. 13 as one of its affiliated programs.

Siedentop joined the College of Education faculty in 1970. He is one of the world's leading authorities on sport education for children and youth, and is considered an influential scholar in the analysis of teaching effectiveness in physical activity settings. In recognition of his achievements, Siedentop was made a Fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

Before his appointment as interim dean of the College of Education in June 1998, Siedentop was the senior associate dean for faculty, research and international affairs.

"Dr. Siedentop's achievements, dedication to improving education and sound judgment have earned him broad respect," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost. "We are very fortunate to have him lend his expertise to the University's P-12 initiative. I am certain that under his leadership, this Universitywide effort with the College of Education in the lead college role will significantly expand and enhance the effectiveness of our commitment to P-12 education, with special attention on improving the education of underserved children and youths."

Faculty honored as Fellows

Two Ohio State faculty members have been awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

William I. Ausich, professor of geological sciences, and Lawrence A. Brown, Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of Geography, were among 251 AAAS members nationally to receive the honor this year.

Ausich is recognized "for distinguished contributions to the field of paleontology, particularly to the understanding of taphonomic processes and the evolution of crinoids."

Brown is honored "for scholarship that spans innovation diffusion, migration, urbanization and third-world development, for extensive publications, and for the training of 28 Ph.D.s of significant reputation."

Fellows' names will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Science, and new Fellows will be honored in February during the 2001 AAAS Annual Meeting.

With the addition of Ausich and Brown, Ohio State has 51 AAAS Fellows among its faculty.

"We are all very proud of this much deserved recognition of Professors Ausich and Brown. Recognition of these colleagues speaks to their extraordinary accomplishments and reminds all of us of Ohio State's solid national reputation as a major contributor to the body of knowledge in numerous disciplines," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost.

"As we advance the University goals related to faculty development outlined in the Academic Plan, I know we will see many more of our most talented and committed faculty members receive such high honors, and serve both as sources of pride for all of us and as important examples to junior faculty who are developing their own research reputations."

Ausich's areas of specialization are invertebrate paleontology, paleoecology, evolutionary paleoecology and taphonomy, and concentrate on marine invertebrates such as Crinoidea and other Echinodermata that have a rich fossil history. A former chair of the Department of Geological Sciences, he is the recipient of substantial National Science Foundation funding and has published widely, including the co-authorship of two recent books.

Ausich received the 1980 best paper award in the Journal of Paleontology, the 1990 Schuchert Award from the Paleontological Society, and a Fulbright fellowship in 1992 to study Lower Mississippian Crinoids from Ireland. He holds doctoral and master's degrees from Indiana University and earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois.

Brown's research focuses on the adoption and geographic spread of new products and techniques across the Earth's surface, generally referred to as innovation diffusion, as well as population movement, and Latin American and Third World development issues. His current work concerns socio-economic change, economic restructuring, population shifts, globalization impacts, and the consequences of government devolution in locales comprising the Ohio River Valley.

His research record includes four books/monographs, almost 100 articles, instrumental participation in publications that played a significant role in the development of current geographic thought, and several research grants, primarily from the National Science Foundation. A past president of the Association of American Geographers and recipient of national and University awards, he earned his Ph.D. and master's degree from Northwestern University and his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

AAAS members are elevated to the rank of Fellow because of their efforts toward advancing science or fostering applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. AAAS represents the world's largest federation of scientists and works to advance science for human well-being through its projects, programs and publications. It conducts programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation.

Chemistry professor receives Cope Scholar award

Ask Matthew Platz about his research, and he'll talk about teaching. To this professor of organic chemistry, the two are inseparable.

"I feel that research is a very specialized, very intense form of teaching between professor and student," he said. "The most important thing we do as professors is to educate our students and get their lives moving in a positive direction after graduation."

Platz recently earned an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award carries a $40,000 unrestricted research grant, a $5,000 cash award and a certificate. Platz will receive his award at the ACS national meeting in August.

The ACS created the award in 1984 in memory of Cope, a celebrated chemist and former president of the society. Each year, a maximum of 10 chemists can receive the award, which honors and encourages excellence in organic chemistry.

Bruce Bursten, chair of the Department of Chemistry, and David Hart, professor of chemistry, jointly nominated Platz for the award. Hart is currently giving lectures in Japan.

Bursten praised Platz for his productivity and for the breadth of his research. Platz has published almost 200 research papers during his career, nearly half of which have appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the premier journal of his field. During five years as acting chair and chair of chemistry, Platz maintained his constant publishing and mentoring of students, Bursten said.

"Platz's research is truly interdisciplinary," Bursten added. "His contributions have influenced not only the field of physical organic chemistry, but also biological chemistry and, most recently, medicine. He is a shining light at OSU, one who has committed himself to the pursuit of excellence at all levels of his activity, and one who makes all of us better for the opportunity to interact with him."

Platz has mentored more than 30 master's, 30 doctoral, and 20 postdoctoral students in his 22 years at Ohio State. Together, he and his students have earned 10 patents, all covering techniques for using light to clean viruses like HIV and hepatitis from donated blood and transplant tissue.

He credits his inspiration to natural curiosity, the interests of his students and the premature birth of his youngest daughter, Jenny, in 1985. Like many such infants, Jenny needed light therapy to boost life-sustaining chemical reactions her immature liver couldn't provide.

His daughter's therapy prompted him to think about light-initiated chemical reactions in general.

Since then, Platz has amassed numerous qualifications for a Cope Scholar Award. During the past year alone, he was named to three prestigious lectureships: the Gustafson Distinguished Lectureship at the University of Denver, the Berson Lectureship at Yale University, and the Ingersoll Lectureship at Vanderbilt University. Additionally, he has served on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Organic Chemistry and the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry, and chaired National Science Foundation workshops on physical organic chemistry.

At Ohio State, he has also held the post of vice chair for graduate studies in the Department of Chemistry, and initiated an outreach program for teaching organic chemistry at Centennial High School in Columbus. He was also the principal author of the successful proposal from the Department of Chemistry for an OSU Selective Investment award.

Despite his accomplishments, Platz said that he feels there are many other fine organic chemists in his department who are more deserving of an award.

"I plan to spend the rest of my career here. I'm very grateful for the support I've received over the years, and glad that I could bring some positive recognition to organic chemistry at Ohio State," he said.

Platz will use the research grant to continue his work, and the $5,000 award to help pay for his children's education -- at Ohio State. His son David is now a junior in electrical engineering, and his daughter Emily will be a freshman here next year. Platz hopes his daughter Jenny will continue the Ohio State tradition four years from now.